List of governors of South Carolina
The Governor of the State of South Carolina is the head of state for the state of South Carolina. Under the South Carolina Constitution, the governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the South Carolina executive branch.
Governor of South Carolina | |
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Style | His Excellency |
Residence | South Carolina Governor's Mansion |
Term length | Four years, renewable once consecutively; afterwards, the officeholder must sit out for one term before being eligible again |
Inaugural holder | John Rutledge (as State, 1776) William Sayle (as Colony, 1670) |
Formation | Constitution of South Carolina |
Salary | $106,078 (2013)[1] |
Website | www |
The governor is the ex officio commander-in-chief of the National Guard when not called into federal use. The governor's responsibilities include making yearly "State of the State" addresses to the South Carolina General Assembly, submitting an executive budget and ensuring that state laws are enforced.
Henry McMaster is the Governor of South Carolina since January 2017.
The only female governor in South Carolina is Nikki Haley.
This is a list of South Carolina governors.[2]
Colonial period (1670–1775)
changeStatehood period (1776–present)
changePresidents under the Articles of Confederation
changeThe General Assembly chose the President for a term of two years.
- Parties
# | President | Took Office | Left Office | Lt. Governor | Party | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
31 | John Rutledge | March 26, 1776 | March 5, 1778 | Henry Laurens | No party | 1st time, Resigned | |
32 | Rawlins Lowndes | March 6, 1778 | January 9, 1779 | James Parsons | No party | British prisoner during Revolutionary War |
Governors under the Articles of Confederation
changeThe General Assembly chose the Governor for a term of two years.
- Parties
# | Governor | Took Office | Left Office | Lt. Governor | Party | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
John Rutledge | January 9, 1779 | January 31, 1782 | Thomas Bee Christopher Gadsden |
No party | 2nd time | ||
33 | John Mathews | January 31, 1782 | February 4, 1783 | Richard Hutson | No party | ||
34 | Benjamin Guerard | February 4, 1783 | February 11, 1785 | Richard Beresford William Moultrie William Moultrie |
No party | ||
35 | William Moultrie | February 11, 1785 | February 20, 1787 | Charles Drayton | No party | 1st time | |
36 | Thomas Pinckney | February 20, 1787 | January 26, 1789 | Thomas Gadsden | Federalist | ||
37 | Charles Pinckney | January 26, 1789 | December 5, 1792 | Alexander Gillon | Federalist | 1st time |
Governors under the Constitution of 1790
changeThe General Assembly chose the Governor for a term of two years.
- Parties
Democratic Federalist Democratic-Republican
# | Governor | Took Office | Left Office | Lt. Governor | Party | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
William Moultrie | December 5, 1792 | December 17, 1794 | James Ladson | Federalist | 2nd time | ||
38 | Arnoldus Vanderhorst | December 17, 1794 | December 8, 1796 | Lewis Morris | Federalist | ||
Charles Pinckney | December 8, 1796 | December 18, 1798 | Robert Anderson | Democratic-Republican | 2nd time | ||
39 | Edward Rutledge | December 18, 1798 | January 23, 1800 | John Drayton | Federalist | Died in office | |
40 | John Drayton | January 23, 1800 | December 8, 1802 | Richard Winn | Democratic-Republican | 1st time | |
41 | James Burchill Richardson | December 8, 1802 | December 7, 1804 | Ezekiel Pickens | Democratic-Republican | ||
42 | Paul Hamilton | December 7, 1804 | December 9, 1806 | Thomas Sumter, Jr. | Democratic-Republican | ||
Charles Pinckney | December 9, 1806 | December 10, 1808 | John Hopkins | Democratic-Republican | 3rd time | ||
John Drayton | December 10, 1808 | December 8, 1810 | Frederick Nance | Democratic-Republican | 2nd time | ||
43 | Henry Middleton | December 8, 1810 | December 10, 1812 | Samuel Farrow | Democratic-Republican | ||
44 | Joseph Alston | December 10, 1812 | December 10, 1814 | Eldred Simkins | Democratic-Republican | ||
45 | David Rogerson Williams | December 10, 1814 | December 5, 1816 | Robert Creswell | Democratic-Republican | ||
46 | Andrew Pickens | December 5, 1816 | December 8, 1818 | John A. Cuthbert | Democratic-Republican | ||
47 | John Geddes | December 8, 1818 | December 7, 1820 | William Youngblood | Democratic-Republican | ||
48 | Thomas Bennett, Jr. | December 7, 1820 | December 7, 1822 | William Pinckney | Democratic-Republican | ||
49 | John Lyde Wilson | December 7, 1822 | December 3, 1824 | Henry Bradley | Democratic-Republican | ||
50 | Richard Irvine Manning I | December 3, 1824 | December 9, 1826 | William Bull | Democratic-Republican | ||
51 | John Taylor | December 9, 1826 | December 10, 1828 | James Witherspoon | Democratic-Republican | ||
52 | Stephen Decatur Miller | December 10, 1828 | December 9, 1830 | Thomas Williams | Democratic (Nullifier) | ||
53 | James Hamilton, Jr. | December 9, 1830 | December 10, 1832 | Patrick Noble | Democratic (Nullifier) | ||
54 | Robert Young Hayne | December 10, 1832 | December 9, 1834 | Charles Cotesworth Pinckney | Democratic (Nullifier) | ||
55 | George McDuffie | December 9, 1834 | December 10, 1836 | Whitemarsh B. Seabrook | Democratic | ||
56 | Pierce Mason Butler | December 10, 1836 | December 7, 1838 | William DuBose | Democratic | ||
57 | Patrick Noble | December 7, 1838 | April 7, 1840 | Barnabas Kelet Henagan | Democratic | Died in office | |
58 | Barnabas Kelet Henagan | April 7, 1840 | December 9, 1840 | vacant | Democratic | Not elected | |
59 | John Peter Richardson II | December 9, 1840 | December 8, 1842 | William K. Clowney | Democratic | ||
60 | James Henry Hammond | December 8, 1842 | December 7, 1844 | Isaac D. Witherspoon | Democratic | ||
61 | William Aiken, Jr. | December 7, 1844 | December 8, 1846 | J.F. Ervin | Democratic | ||
62 | David Johnson | December 8, 1846 | December 12, 1848 | William Cain | Democratic | ||
63 | Whitemarsh B. Seabrook | December 12, 1848 | December 13, 1850 | William Henry Gist | Democratic | ||
64 | John Hugh Means | December 13, 1850 | December 9, 1852 | Joshua John Ward | Democratic | ||
65 | John Lawrence Manning | December 9, 1852 | December 11, 1854 | James Irby | Democratic | ||
66 | James Hopkins Adams | December 11, 1854 | December 9, 1856 | Richard de Treville | Democratic | ||
67 | Robert F.W. Allston | December 9, 1856 | December 10, 1858 | Gabriel Cannon | Democratic | ||
68 | William Henry Gist | December 10, 1858 | December 14, 1860 | M. E. Carn | Democratic | ||
69 | Francis Wilkinson Pickens | December 14, 1860 | December 17, 1862 | W.W. Harllee | Democratic | ||
70 | Milledge Luke Bonham | December 17, 1862 | December 18, 1864 | Plowden Weston | Democratic | ||
71 | Andrew Gordon Magrath | December 18, 1864 | May 25, 1865 | Robert McCaw | Democratic | Deposed by the Union Army | |
72 | Benjamin Franklin Perry | June 30, 1865 | November 29, 1865 | vacant | Unionist Democrat | Appointed by President Andrew Johnson |
Governors under the Constitution of 1865
changeFirst Constitution of South Carolina to provide for the direct election of the Governor.
- Parties
# | Governor | Took Office | Left Office | Lt. Governor | Party | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
73 | James Lawrence Orr | November 29, 1865 | July 6, 1868 | W.D. Porter | No party (Democratic) | 1st popularly elected Governor |
Governors under the Constitution of 1868
change- Parties
# | Governor | Took Office | Left Office | Lt. Governor | Party | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
74 | Robert Kingston Scott | July 6, 1868 | December 7, 1872 | Lemuel Boozer Alonzo J. Ransier |
Republican | ||
75 | Franklin J. Moses, Jr. | December 7, 1872 | December 1, 1874 | Richard Howell Gleaves | Republican | ||
76 | Daniel Henry Chamberlain | December 1, 1874 | December 14, 1876 | Richard Howell Gleaves | Republican | Claimed Governorship after 1876 election | |
77 | Wade Hampton III | December 14, 1876 | February 26, 1879 | William Dunlap Simpson | Democratic | Resigned | |
78 | William Dunlap Simpson | February 26, 1879 | September 1, 1880 | John D. Kennedy | Democratic | Not elected | |
79 | Thomas Bothwell Jeter | September 1, 1880 | November 30, 1880 | vacant | Democratic | ||
80 | Johnson Hagood | November 30, 1880 | December 1, 1882 | John D. Kennedy | Democratic | ||
81 | Hugh Smith Thompson | December 1, 1882 | July 10, 1886 | John Calhoun Sheppard | Democratic | Resigned | |
82 | John Calhoun Sheppard | July 10, 1886 | November 30, 1886 | vacant | Democratic | Not elected | |
83 | John Peter Richardson III | November 30, 1886 | December 4, 1890 | William Mauldin | Democratic | ||
84 | Benjamin Ryan Tillman | December 4, 1890 | December 4, 1894 | Eugene Gary W.H. Timmerman |
Democratic | ||
85 | John Gary Evans | December 4, 1894 | January 18, 1897 | W.H. Timmerman | Democratic |
Governors under the Constitution of 1895
change- Parties
Democratic (27) Republican (6)
# | Governor | Took Office | Left Office | Lt. Governor | Party | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
86 | William Haselden Ellerbe | January 18, 1897 | June 2, 1899 | Miles Benjamin McSweeney | Democratic | Died in office | |
87 | Miles Benjamin McSweeney | June 2, 1899 | January 20, 1903 | Robert B. Scarborough | Democratic | ||
88 | Duncan Clinch Heyward | January 20, 1903 | January 15, 1907 | James Tillman John Sloan |
Democratic | ||
89 | Martin Frederick Ansel | January 15, 1907 | January 17, 1911 | Thomas Gordon McLeod | Democratic | ||
90 | Coleman Livingston Blease | January 17, 1911 | January 14, 1915 | Charles Aurelius Smith | Democratic | Resigned | |
91 | Charles Aurelius Smith | January 14, 1915 | January 19, 1915 | vacant | Democratic | Not elected | |
92 | Richard Irvine Manning III | January 19, 1915 | January 21, 1919 | Andrew Bethea | Democratic | ||
93 | Robert Archer Cooper | January 21, 1919 | May 20, 1922 | J.T. Liles Wilson Godfrey Harvey |
Democratic | Resigned | |
94 | Wilson Godfrey Harvey | May 20, 1922 | January 16, 1923 | vacant | Democratic | Not elected | |
95 | Thomas Gordon McLeod | January 16, 1923 | January 18, 1927 | E.B. Jackson | Democratic | ||
96 | John Gardiner Richards, Jr. | January 18, 1927 | January 20, 1931 | Thomas Bothwell Butler | Democratic | 1st to be elected to a four-year term | |
97 | Ibra Charles Blackwood | January 20, 1931 | January 15, 1935 | James Sheppard | Democratic | ||
98 | Olin D. Johnston | January 15, 1935 | January 17, 1939 | Joseph Emile Harley | Democratic | 1st time | |
99 | Burnet R. Maybank | January 17, 1939 | November 4, 1941 | Joseph Emile Harley | Democratic | Resigned | |
100 | Joseph Emile Harley | November 4, 1941 | February 27, 1942 | vacant | Democratic | Not elected, Died in office | |
101 | Richard Manning Jefferies | February 27, 1942 | January 19, 1943 | vacant | Democratic | Not elected | |
98 | Olin D. Johnston | January 19, 1943 | January 2, 1945 | Ransome Judson Williams | Democratic | 2nd time, Resigned | |
102 | Ransome Judson Williams | January 2, 1945 | January 21, 1947 | vacant | Democratic | Not elected | |
103 | Strom Thurmond | January 21, 1947 | January 16, 1951 | George Bell Timmerman, Jr. | Democratic | ||
104 | James Francis Byrnes | January 16, 1951 | January 18, 1955 | George Bell Timmerman, Jr. | Democratic | ||
105 | George Bell Timmerman, Jr. | January 18, 1955 | January 20, 1959 | Ernest Hollings | Democratic | ||
106 | Ernest Hollings | January 20, 1959 | January 15, 1963 | Burnet R. Maybank Jr. | Democratic | ||
107 | Donald Stuart Russell | January 15, 1963 | April 22, 1965 | Robert Evander McNair | Democratic | Resigned | |
108 | Robert Evander McNair | April 22, 1965 | January 19, 1971 | vacant John C. West |
Democratic | ||
109 | John C. West | January 19, 1971 | January 21, 1975 | Earle Morris, Jr. | Democratic | ||
110 | James B. Edwards | January 21, 1975 | January 10, 1979 | W. Brantley Harvey, Jr. | Republican | ||
111 | Richard Riley | January 10, 1979 | January 14, 1987 | Nancy Stevenson Michael R. Daniel |
Democratic | 1st elected to two consecutive four-year terms | |
112 | Carroll A. Campbell, Jr. | January 14, 1987 | January 11, 1995 | Nick Theodore (Democratic) | Republican | ||
113 | David Beasley | January 11, 1995 | January 13, 1999 | Bob Peeler | Republican | ||
114 | Jim Hodges | January 13, 1999 | January 15, 2003 | Bob Peeler | Democratic | ||
115 | Mark Sanford | January 15, 2003 | January 12, 2011 | André Bauer | Republican | ||
116 | Nikki Haley | January 12, 2011 | January 24, 2017 | Ken Ard Glenn F. McConnell J. Yancey McGill (Democratic) Henry McMaster |
Republican | Resigned to become UN Ambassador | |
117 | Henry McMaster | January 24, 2017 | Incumbent | Kevin L. Bryant | Republican |
Number of Governors by Party | |
---|---|
Colonial Governors | 30 |
No party | 6 |
Federalist | 4 |
Democratic-Republican | 13 |
Democratic | 55 |
Republican | 9 |
Other high offices held
changeThis is a table of congressional seats, other federal offices, other governorships, and other high offices held by governors. All representatives and senators mentioned represented South Carolina except where noted. *denotes those offices which the governor resigned to take.
Living former U.S. governors of South Carolina
changeAs of January 2017[update], there are six former U.S. governors of South Carolina who are currently living at this time, the oldest U.S. governor of South Carolina being Ernest "Fritz" Hollings (served 1959–1963, born 1922). The most recent U.S. governor of South Carolina to die was James Burrows Edwards (served 1975–1979, born 1927), on December 26, 2014.[4] The most recently serving governor to die was Carroll A. Campbell, Jr. (served 1987–1995, born 1940) on December 7, 2005.
Governor | Party | Gubernatorial term | Birth |
---|---|---|---|
Ernest "Fritz" Hollings | Democratic | 1959–1963 | January 1, 1922 |
Richard Riley | Democratic | 1979–1987 | January 2, 1933 |
David Beasley | Republican | 1995–1999 | February 26, 1957 |
Jim Hodges | Democratic | 1999–2003 | November 19, 1956 |
Mark Sanford | Republican | 2003–2011 | May 28, 1960 |
Nikki Haley | Republican | 2011–2017 | January 20, 1972 |
Related pages
changeReferences
change- ↑ "CSG Releases 2013 Governor Salaries". The Council of State Governments. June 25, 2013. Archived from the original on October 22, 2014. Retrieved November 23, 2014.
- ↑ "South Carolina Governors". SCIWAY. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
- ↑ "Executive Director". Archived from the original on 2017-05-01. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
- ↑ "Former Gov. James Edwards dies at 87". wistv.com. WCSC and WIS. Retrieved March 7, 2015.